Pourover: Tigers sleepwalk through an easy win

A clunky performance sure, but still an easy no nonsense win.

Summarized by AI ⓘ

What is the story about?

I can imagine prep for this game was a tough one. You’ve had two emotional games in your last three weeks, the positive vibes are flowing as the record stretches to 4-0, and you have one of the worst FBS teams coming into your stadium for a game nobody expects to be close. The spread before the game was more than 40 points.

Even for UMass, I imagine their focus was on just getting better as they inch closer to MACtion. They probably weren’t thinking of coming to COMO and pulling an upset.

Neither team

really seemed like they were all too into playing this game out, and it showed. Mizzou’s defense was solid in limiting a pretty poor UMass offense. The Tigers offense was steady but showed no ability to break through with big plays.

Last year in the opening series Luther Burden scampered away from the UMass defense on an end around on just the second play from scrimmage. He was untouched for 61 yards and it felt like it was going to be that kind of day for the Tigers. An easy, breezy win.

That singular kind of moment never happened for the Tigers last night. Instead it was a very workmanlike separation from an inferior opponent. Beau Pribula’s interception gave the Minutemen some life in the middle of the 1st quarter, but the slow suffocation was already taking place. Last week I dubbed the offense Plodding & Methodic, and perhaps that’s not entirely accurate. It really applies to the entire team. The defense is deep and talented, and if they figure out some of the back-end miscues, they can make some noise against the rest of the SEC. But they just suffocate the opponent and really don’t give up much ground. And really nothing on the ground.

The Tiger defense again stymied any attempts to run the ball, giving up just 19 rushing yards. Last week they gave up -9 to South Carolina, and if you take away one run from Louisiana they gave up just 33 yards.

The biggest play allowed by the defense was a 24 yard pass play, but they shut down UMass all game. The offense just looked a bit sticky. Time of possession was heavily in favor of the Tigers, as well as the total plays. But UMass was able to generate some pressure on Pribula, and actually had more tackles for loss than Missouri did. Now Mizzou ran more plays, but the tackles for loss versus overall play count was about even.

The goals for this team involved beating UMass, but it was always assumed. So much for what Missouri is, and who they want to be, is about how they perform. Looking like you were sleepwalking or taking it a little easy is understandable with what’s ahead. Because there are still all the things on the table.

Maybe watching a clunky 42-6 win will make you feel less certain about the Tigers future this season. After watching them sleep-walk a bit through this game, they didn’t look like an engaged team the same way they dismantled Louisiana. We watched this team take down strong South Carolina and Kansas squads, and then watched Alabama look shaky to open the season, maybe there was a sense Mizzou could seize on the upcoming match with Alabama in two weeks. But as the Tigers were waltzing over an overmatched UMass squad, their next opponent, Alabama, beat Georgia in Athens.

Alabama faces Vanderbilt next, so we’ll learn a lot about two future opponents here while Missouri is taking the week off.

I assume the Tigers will look more focused in two weeks when the Tide roll into town. And much like Georgia losing to Alabama last night, the Tigers’ season doesn’t hinge on winning one game. But it’s an opportunity to capture one most don’t expect.

Before the season I think most looked at Mizzou’s schedule as being favorable, but you never know how things shake out each season until you play it out. Mississippi State looks a lot better than most expected, Arkansas looks a lot worse, Auburn can’t score on offense, Vanderbilt looks like a machine, and OU and A&M look like playoff level teams. And now Alabama is back to being Alabama.

The road through the SEC is never easy. And things are about to kick up a notch.